The data is there.

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to acknowledging the achievements of women and raising awareness about the challenges they still face. As we enter 2023, there are still countless disparities and obstacles that women encounter, and these statistics are just a few examples of the work that still needs to be done.

It’s shocking to think it will take 136 years to close the gender pay gap and an even more staggering 268 years to reach economic parody. In addition, women need to be more represented in leadership positions. Only 5% of CEOs of ASX 200 companies are women, and only 10.6% of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are women. Women also only lead 15 out of 195 countries.

These statistics show that much work needs to be done to achieve gender equality in the workforce. Globally, women are paid 20% less than men and only received 0.7% of startup funding in 2022. Furthermore, full-time working mothers spend on average 20 hours more per week on childcare and housework than their male partners, making it difficult to advance in their careers.

Gender balance on boards is another area where progress is slow. Only one in five boards has gender balance, meaning women are still underrepresented in decision-making roles. The high burnout rate among women is also concerning, with 46% feeling burnt out at work. Let’s not start on women’s mental load; that is a whole article on its own.

The most concerning statistic is that 93% of women believe their employer won’t act on non-inclusive behaviours or abuse at work. Employers must take a proactive stance on inclusivity and work to create a safe and welcoming workplace for all employees.

International Women’s Day reminds us that we all have a role in advancing gender equality. We can work on challenging biases and creating a more inclusive environment as individuals. As employers, we can take steps to address the disparities that still exist in the workforce and create opportunities for women to advance in their careers.

What can you do today that can change some of these statistics for the better? I know some amazing women who work daily to inspire the next generation of women and men to do better.

These are just some of the roles we are recruiting at the moment within organisations that have strong diversity practices for all;

https://www.sterning.com.au/hr-jobs/

Contact Sarah George Bianca Clifton- MAHRI or Emma Egan for a confidential discussion on what could be next for you in your career.